The best thing we can say
about the month of July is that little happened. And that’s a good thing.
As the summer travel
season kicked into high gear, there were no appreciable problems. Sort of.
There was a worldwide
technology outage caused by a faulty software update in July that affected many
airlines, including
Delta. But airports
were quick to react to the first major hurricane of the
season. And after more than 50
years, a piece of history – Southwest Airlines changed
its open seating policy.
All eyes are on the
Department of Justice as
it continued to ponder the potential merger between
Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska. Upstart low-cost carrier
Avelo Airlines made headlines by announcing its first international
destinations amid a
large expansion of lights.
There’s also good news for the
Boeing Company, as the troubled airplane manufacturer said suppliers will again
continue to deliver part that would allow it to
resume production of its 787 model.
Maybe July was busier
than we thought.
Numbers Don’t Lie
At the same time, there
is some unwelcomed news for Southwest Airlines. The carrier is being
investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration for
a series of close calls in which airplanes came dangerously close
to the ground or the ocean.
A tenuous
peace has been reached between American Airlines and its
flight attendants. The two sides, which
have long been in a protracted contract negotiation, tentatively cut a deal.
The demand for air travel
has never been higher. At least, according to the numbers. And you know what
they say about numbers: They never lie. Travel agencies reported
a whopping $53 billion in airfares in the first half of 2024.
A rather embarrassing
incident took place on United Airlines involving a Super Bowl hero. NFL
Hall-of-Fame running back Terrell Davis was handcuffed and removed from a
flight in an apparent misunderstanding with an
overzealous flight attendant.
Delta had to
make an impromptu decision when a passenger complained about a flight attendant
wearing a pin that apparently supported Gaza in its war against Israel. So the
carrier changed its uniform policy.
In an apparent victory
for tourism, the Supreme
Court in the Netherlands ruled against reducing the capacity of
incoming flights to Amsterdam.
It’s a record! The
Transportation Safety Administration processed
a record amount of passengers for one day in July.
Boeing took care of one
of its problems when
it pleaded guilty to criminal fraud. Well, perhaps it didn’t
get rid of a problem as much as removed it from its agenda.
The FAA has approved a
second airport for Las Vegas. This one will join Harry Reid International and
be located
about 30 miles outside the city limits.
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